John McCain and Barack Obama will square off Sept. 26 in the first presidential debate. This televised event — and the two others that will follow in October — will potentially play a decisive role this year, allowing one of the candidates to break free from the deadlocked poll numbers that have defined the contest thus far.

In close elections with significant numbers of undecided voters, debates can become true turning points. Consider the lone debate of the 1980 presidential contest between Republican Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter, which proved essential to the outcome in November.

Although we like to think of a Reagan Revolution in 1980, in reality, throughout September and early October, large numbers of voters were on the fence about which candidate to choose. While Carter was an unpopular president facing a stagnant economy and a hostage crisis in Iran, many voters feared that Reagan was too extreme and not very intelligent.

Reagan and Carter had not debated before Oct. 28. The League of Women Voters had sponsored a debate on Sept. 21, but Carter had refused to join because third-party candidate John Anderson — a Republican congressman from Illinois whose appeal to independents posed a greater threat to Carter than to Reagan — had been allowed to participate.

After the debate between Reagan and Anderson, the pressure for a Reagan-Carter matchup intensified in mid-October. The president — despite numerous advisers who told him he would lose support by allowing Reagan to appear more reasonable than Democrats had hoped and who feared the president’s skills were rusty, since he had not debated since 1976 — was confident that he would appear more experienced and knowledgeable than his opponent. Anderson’s support, moreover, had fallen below the 15 percent threshold required to participate.

Reagan was bolstered by his great performance at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner on Oct. 16 and believed that he needed to debate the president to counter his new momentum.

The buildup to the debate and its proximity to Election Day heightened the atmosphere surrounding the event. Carter adviser Hamilton Jordan recalled that “polls showed that people had quit making up their minds. It was as if the entire election had been put on hold, waiting for the debate.” Journalist Elizabeth Drew compared the debate to “the world heavyweight championship and the Super Bowl combined.”

When debate night finally came, Carter demonstrated an impressive command of the details of public policy and the issues facing the nation. But Reagan offered a superb performance in front of the cameras.

During one of the most dramatic moments, Carter was delivering a professorial statement about the problems in the health care system and accusing Reagan of having opposed the creation of Medicare in 1965. The president was trying to show his superior knowledge and dismiss Reagan as an extremist — the twin goals of the Democratic campaign.

Obama v McCain debate. My prediction is that McCain will come across as stiff, stodgy, faltering and not be able to fully communicate his ideas or responses to questions in a fluid manner. Obama on the otherhand, will be able to deliver polished, smooth as silk responses to the questions set to him. Whether or not Obama will answer the questions with any depth or not is a moot point, it is how he will be able to dance around the question, flash that smile, wink his eye, and look out to the television audience, these things will work in Obama's favor. Obama 1 McCain 0 Palin V Biden. Biden will come across as knowledgable and articulate, add a little down-home shucks, "I'm just like you." thrown in for good measure. Biden is a policy wonk, so he will be able to answer any and all questions without coming across as a know-it-all like Al Gore. The only risk I see is Biden coming across too mean in his handling of Palin which would work in Palin's favor, as a sympathy nod in her direction. Palin on the other hand will come across as sweet, but dear in the headlights posture. She will not have the depth of policy experience to handle many of the cleverly couched phrases like the recent, "Bush Doctrine" question put to her last week. Biden 1 Palin 0 The Dem's win this one. Paul - Voting for Ron Paul

Obama v McCain debate. My prediction is that McCain will come across as stiff, stodgy, faltering and not be able to fully communicate his ideas or responses to questions in a fluid manner. Obama on the otherhand, will be able to deliver polished, smooth as silk responses to the questions set to him. Whether or not Obama will answer the questions with any depth or not is a moot point, it is how he will be able to dance around the question, flash that smile, wink his eye, and look out to the television audience, these things will work in Obama's favor. Obama 1 McCain 0 Palin V Biden. Biden will come across as knowledgable and articulate, add a little down-home shucks, "I'm just like you." thrown in for good measure. Biden is a policy wonk, so he will be able to answer any and all questions without coming across as a know-it-all like Al Gore. The only risk I see is Biden coming across too mean in his handling of Palin which would work in Palin's favor, as a sympathy nod in her direction. Palin on the other hand will come across as sweet, but dear in the headlights posture. She will not have the depth of policy experience to handle many of the cleverly couched phrases like the recent, "Bush Doctrine" question put to her last week. Biden 1 Palin 0 The Dem's win this one. Paul - Voting for Ron Paul

McCain will no doubt use his favorite phrase "My friends" over and over again for emphasis, but he will be not be able to win a debate with Obama. Palin will be completely out of her depth in a debate with Biden. Even if they lob the softest of softball questions to her, she won't win.

joseatpoldotorg sounds pretty cocky up there at the head of the list, maybe wanting to make a wager, a gentleman's bet???? I predict that the McCain-Obama debate will seem scripted on the experience of the Clinton-Dole debates. Some of you may not remember that long ago, but in 1996, a struggling Clinton debated Dole, who was a war hero, an elder statesman, and an all around likeable guy. Clinton, whatever else we might want to say about him, was sharp and a consummate policy wonk, and he ran circles around Dole, who was simply unable to get his balance in the barrage of very specific policy statements Clinton laid down. I am guessing that the debate is going to allow Obama, a tech-savvy wonk basically, to make McCain, a troglodyte on technology and a fuzzy math policy exponent, look old, limited, and retirement-bound.

Yes! The debates will seal the deal and propel Obama into an unstoppable margin of victory eliminating McCain as a serious nominee. This won't be a repeat of Pastor Warren's claim of a cone of silence and spoon-fed questions to the GOP candidate. McCain will falter as he faces down his worst nightmare.

Obama is the one under pressure here. Without the use of a teleprompter he's in big trouble. He's not one to think on his feet. He needs David Axelrod to write everything down for him to say. McCain might not be a great speech reciter like Obama but his experience will shine through. In the end NObama has NOchance. He won't get those White blue collar votes Hillary did in States like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and maybe even Iowa and Michigan. When folks head into the voting booths they will second guess a vote for NObama before McCain. If Gore or Kerry couldn't beat Bush, NObama won't beat McCain. It will be close but NObama's elitism and ties to radicals make him to big of an uppity candidate for mainstream America to vote for. He should have maintained his real name of Barry Soetoro rather than changed it to Barack Hussien Obama.

Will Joe Biden shut up long enough to allow Palin to answer? The pressure is on the guy who doesn't know how to shut up. No one in the US Senate has put his or her foot in their mouth more than Joe Biden. To boot he is a liar. He stretches every tale he tells. Palin will zing him good enough. Look for a Palin victory here. Remember the pressure is on him not to inflate his importance. Can Joe do that? I highly doubt it.

I believe that Obama and Biden will easily come out ahead after the debates, as long as they do not get overconfident, and prepare properly, like I know they will. McCain is a likable enough guy, and people want to like him, and everyone wants to like Palin, so it is essential that Obama and Biden are ready and willing for these debates. They need to be clear cut and know what they are talking about, because if it is thought that McCain/Palin at least hold their own, they win, because the expectation is they will lose.

Why are the conservatives always talking about Obama using a teleprompter when all facts point to him being capable of not using a Teleprompter and talking with ease much more than Mccain and especially Palin.Everything the Ultra cons say is so assbackwards

Will Joe Biden shut up long enough to allow Palin to answer? The pressure is on the guy who doesn't know how to shut up. No one in the US Senate has put his or her foot in their mouth more than Joe Biden. To boot he is a liar. He stretches every tale he tells. Palin will zing him good enough. Look for a Palin victory here. Remember the pressure is on him not to inflate his importance. Can Joe do that? I highly doubt it.

Will you conservatives shut up long enough to let a liberal finish there answer without cutting them off.Your mad because you know that crap will not work with Joe Biden who will lash off at Palin if she attempts to cut him off while he speaks.

Some of you may not remember that long ago, but in 1996, a struggling Clinton debated Dole, who was a war hero, an elder statesman, and an all around likeable guy. Clinton, whatever else we might want to say about him, was sharp and a consummate policy wonk, and he ran circles around Dole,

Thanks for the history lesson, but let's be clear here . . .Clinton made a big comeback at the end of his second term after TRIANGULATING republican issues and having a republican congress to run against . . . Dole NEVER HAD A CHANCE in that election . . . this election is more like Bush-Gore and the debates are being set up the same way . . . Bush is an idiot (McCain is an idiot) and Gore will (Obama will) eat his lunch . . . much to everyone surprise, Bush did pretty good and since expectations were so low for him, he actually came out of the debates stronger . . . Obama is more likely to come across as a pompus know-it-all just like Gore did (remember how he sighed in the first debate every time Bush made a point he didn't agree with) . . .

As for Reagan/Carter . . . everyone in the country was looking for one good reason to not have to vote for the nit wit a second time and Reagan gave them the reason during the debate . . . that is not the case here . . . 45% of the vote is locked down on either side and the debates will be more about each team rooting for their guy . . . the undecided voters will be looking to McCain to give them the reason not to vote for Obama . . . he is liberal, inexperienced, and a bigger risk in these riskier times then McCain . . .

If McCain makes the case he can do the job, Obama will lose by default . . .

I look forward to the debates I just read an article about the Jimmy Carter- Ronald Reagan debates and realize how critical these debates will be, I'm sure the republican candidates will do well because The teleprompters will be gone and if the bulldogs gets out on old Joe's a**, Sarah gonna eat him alive.

But on the serious side I don't think those debates are not gonna do it with the American, people get more disgusted Everyday they see hundreds of billions of dollars bailed out and now some guy from Chicago wants to raise our taxes,

At least Washington, you owe the American people more than the Spin that they the Receive in the media. After this debate, I believe both candidates should head back to Washington and debate this finance market meltdown, this it too important for America to determine how we got to this point before we go out and pick a president ,that is going to have to lead us through the most the difficult time America has seen in the modern age.

So I ask Washington not debate this in the news media, debate this in Washington on the floor of the senate and in the halls of Congress , like the men and women that we elected you to be.All of you in Washington owe the American people an explanation, we do not need to see it on CNN,ABC,Fox, WE need to see our elected leaders on national television covered by all of the channels and in this debate the two candidates should be given ample time to explain his position and were he stood from the podium and it needs to happen before the election or once again the American people are just gonna get snowed over and covered up.

While the interests of the American people Is at A all time high for any election in history and at crisis in financial markets, we should use a senate debate to clear the air with all Americans be it to the left wing or the right wing get rid of the ones that were all involved in this mess. And call for the resignations and if they profited by this lack of oversight and they should be prosecuted.

Yes, Obama will remind people of Reagan and McCain will remind people of Carter. Let's talk about visuals. On TV, visuals count. Obama, like Reagan, is tall. He looks presidential. On substance too Obama fits Reagan's profile. Obama has a message not unlike Reagan's Morning in America. Obama's words resonate with his supporters. When Obama gives a speech, he makes people feel good about the country. People were wary of Reagan in 1980 because we didn't know enough about him. After seeing Reagan in the debate, we could envision him in the Oval Office. McCain, on the other hand, is Carter all over again -- an angry, little man who is short in stature and short on ideas.

Pretty sure that the campaign advisers are working with Biden to insure the right narrative. The only thing that could lose him the debate is if he comes across as being mean to a woman. It's a double standard since she should be able to take some punches if she wants to play in this arena but people still naturally respond negatively to to a man beating up a woman.